Pick Your Own...Or Not!

We made a sojourn to the farm this weekend to pick some paste tomatoes for canning, or, at least, that was the plan.

It was a beautiful day!

Sauce tomatoes? Yes, please!

Making friends along the way.

Pick Your Own...Or Not!


Have you guys picked *your* own this season?

Five Minute Video 'Fo Fest! September 1st through September 30th, 2013.

Let's not forget to send healing thoughts and prayers to victims and families of 9/11 today, and to thank the thousands of heroes who risked their own lives that day to save others.

Have a peaceful day!

**For the exciting conclusion to this cliffhanger, check out PYO Part Deux!**

Box O' the Bounty: CSAs!

If you want this...

You gotta get yourself a share! 

If you want fresh, organic (or nearly organic) produce for the entire growing season (around here it is June through November) and you can't (or don't want to) grow your own produce, it's not too late to join a CSA this year!  CSA= Community Supported Agriculture.  For more information on CSAs, check out my overview of CSAs including programs in the Philadelphia/South Jersey area here.   All of those have convenient delivery sites (as in you don't have to drive to the actual farm to pick up the box, the farm delivers the boxes to a pick-up location).  If you are able to drive to the farm itself, though, there are more options--farms that offer a CSA program with pick-up at the farm itself.  (Farms that offer a delivered shares program often also offer on-farm pick up).

Farm Additions Since Some Good News:
1. Several local NJ farms with CSA programs are chronicled here.

This is a really nice article on several additional local CSAs came out last month in South Jersey Magazine, check it out!  It describes more NJ farms that offer CSAs (including Honey Brook) many with on-farm pick up, and provides some interesting background on the CSA program in general.  One farm not mentioned is Fern Brook Farm, and though they do not have any delivered boxes, they do have on-farm pick-up in Chesterfield, NJ (same town as Honey Brook!) but it looks like they are sold out for this season (2013).

2. Wimer's Organics Farm
This is an organic, Lancaster, PA based, cooperative farm that has delivered, boxed shares in many locations in the Pennsylvania 'burbs and Philly proper.  It offers biweekly shares (this is a great thing, trust me!), egg and yogurt shares (if you are interested in that) and "summer" and "fall" shares to split the growing season as this would be the whole season for other CSAs.  The "summer" season is 18 weeks, and the "fall" season is 12 weeks.  The whole growing season is 30 weeks if you roll like that.

If you are in NJ, Honey Brook Organic Farm (the CSA I belong to) still has some shares left (delivered boxed shares) and I'm sure some of the other farms still have shares as well.  They have a large range of delivery sites, so you may be surprised to find a convenient location near you!  

Squirrels eat all my tomatoes, beans, and other good stuff, so I NEED that CSA!!

For gorgeous pictures of what you get in a typical CSA box at Honey Brook Farm at the height of the season, check out this post: September's Bounty (2012).

The precious CSA pumpkin!

Anyway, stay tuned to Vegan Fazool for CSA action starting again in a few weeks...it's almost here!  

Here are some highlights from the 2012 season:

May, 2012, The First Box and Glazed Hakurei Turnip Salad

June, 2012, Box #2 of the season...

Yum!

Oh, and this pie, we LOVE this pie:

Green Leek Pie from June, 2012

Jeweled Jars of CSA Marinara from October, 2012

The Fresh Garlic alone is worth the CSA! And Garlic Scapes!

And the TOMATOES!!

Oh my word!

And positively giant scallions from weeks #3 and 4 of 2012! 

YUM. I LOVE SCALLIONS.

The peak of the season looks something like this:

Lordy!  This box is from October, 2012. 

Oh, and don't forget THE BEST potatoes in the world come from your CSA:

Oh. My.  These are the only things worth putting my oven on for in August!

Get ready, folks!  The growing season is upon us.

Sign up for your CSA right now! :-)

CSA Box #2: A Veritable Vegetable Volcano

So, I picked up my second CSA box of the season yesterday and OMG:

 Um, WHOAH! Red Leaf Lettuce, Garlic Scapes, Swiss Chard, Radishes, Broccoli, Beets with their Greens, and Bok Choy!

 Chard, Radishes, Broccoli, Beets and Choy

 FIVE HEADS OF RED LETTUCE. 

 Radishes

 Beets & Choy

That gorgeous red leaf lettuce!

So, I had no idea what to do with five heads of lettuce (it doesn't even last overnight) so I immediately washed it all and gave two heads to my neighbor!  

Today, I cooked the Beet Greens and Swiss Chard for another Green Leek Pie since we can't stop talking about the first one.  I used lots of scapes instead of the leek this time (though I did have a piece of leek left from last week that I threw in).

 Beet Greens! They taste like how they look: just like Swiss Chard :) Tasty!

 Swiss Chard on top of the Beet Greens.  A Vegetable Volcano!

 After the explosion.

So, I'll finish that pie later.  The crust is chilling in the fridge now.

Oh, and I had a wicked craving for my Blood Orange Banana Bread, and I had tangerines in my fridge and three super overripe bananas on my counter, so here she is:

Slammin'.

CSA friends, how is it going with your boxes??

Homemade Strawberry Jam

Homemade Strawberry Jam

8 cups organic strawberries, washed and hulled (this was about 2.5 quarts worth)

2 cups organic sugar

¼ cup organic lemon juice (this was about three small, organic lemons)

That's it!

First, pick your berries!  

Now, get to washing and hulling your strawberries.

Fill a large bowl with water and gently add berries.  Gently stir around to loosen dirt from the farm.  

There’s a lot of dirt in them, so really wash them well.

Remove berries from water and remove stem (there is very little you need to remove on fresh, organic berries!).  I just picked out the individual berries, cut off the tiny bit of stem, and put the hulled berries in fresh bowl. 

 Whatever you do, do NOT “strain” them out by dumping the water and berries out together, this will pour the dirt right back over the berries!  You have to lift them out.

Add the sugar, mix gently and refrigerate.  

Allow the berries to sit (refrigerated) overnight or at least for a few hours to mascerate and let the juices start to flow.

Next, add the freshly squeezed lemon juice, and mix again.  Cook down in a large non-reactive pan (I used my large, wide stainless pan that is really a small roasting pan) over medium heat until reduced into a gel-like consistency. This takes about 20-25 minutes.  

 Mash up with a potato masher while cooking to break up the berries.

Skim foam off near the end of the cooking time to get a mostly clear jam.

That’s it! You’ve got jam!  You can keep it in the fridge for up to three weeks just as it is in a tightly covered container, or you can “process” it by canning it for real, and it will last up to a year.

I just stuck it in the fridge because we will easily eat it in three weeks, and, I don’t have any canning lids as of right now…I totally need to get canning stuff!

Enjoy!

Crispy Oat Cakes (Pancakes)

Crispy Oat Cakes with Strawberries!

 These were unbelievable.  I had them for lunch and dinner.

But, first, to the strawberry fields to pick the strawberries--then on to the recipe, don't worry!

 Honey Brook Organic Farm in Chesterfield, NJ

You could ride the tractor to the picking fields!

 Which we did, of course.

 See the fields in the distance and the tiny people picking strawberries?

 Me, picking! It was slow going at first.  The strawberry plants are very prickly, I wished I brought my gardening gloves, but I didn't know to!  Oh well.  And they were border planted with these thistle-y things:

 Damn, they were prickly! But, I bet they prevent deer and such from eating the berries.  Oh, and the fields were loaded with ladybugs! Organic farming is awesome!

 Just look at these beauties!  They said the tiny berries are the sweetest and most flavorful.

 Pondering.

 Kiddo whaling on the berries but trying to hide it.  He ate like a pint of them!

 Once we got warmed up with the picking, it was all we could do to pull ourselves away from the fields.  I just wanted to pluck those jewels all day long.  So bright and alluring!  So ethereal!

Me, with my full quart and my official Farm I.D. :-)

Heading home with our allotted three quarts (we thought we were only going to get two!):

Now, let's make some pancakes.  These are oat-based, low gluten and totally whole grain.  And, they are delicious!

Crispy Oat Cakes

Inspired by Molly Katzen’s recipe for Oatmeal Waffles in her Sunlight Café cookbook.

½ brick (6 oz) of silken tofu (the one in the aseptic box) , mash up with a fork in a small bowl, add:

1 tsp vanilla

1 tsp cinnamon

3 T of melted butter or canola oil.  Mash some more until well-combined, set aside.

In a large, 4 C. measuring cup, mix:

2 cups of plant milk (I used TJ’s organic soy milk)

2 tsps apple cider vinegar

And let sit to curdle (this will be your vegan buttermilk). 

In a large bowl, mix your dry ingredients:

1 cup rolled oats (I used Old Fashioned oats, you can also use steel cut oats)

1 cup flour (I used White Whole Wheat, you can use all-purpose or whole wheat if you want)

½ cup oat bran

¾ tsp salt

1 ½ tsps baking powder

½ tsp baking soda

2 Tablespoons sugar

Now, make a well in your dry ingredients and mix in your tofu mixture and your milk until everything is just combined into a thick batter.  It won’t look very pretty, but it will taste awesome!

Heat a dry cast iron skillet on medium heat for about 3 minutes.  Add butter or oil to lightly coat the pan and after about 10 seconds (once it is done bubbling/sizzling) add your batter (make sure it is shaped so you can get your spatula under the whole pancake to flip it).  Cook for 2-3 minutes on the first side and add your fruit (if desired) while this first side is cooking.  Arrange by hand 1-2 tablespoons of berries or sliced fruit over the pancake and press it down a little bit.  

Now, use a butter knife or a spoon and get some extra batter from your bowl.  Gently spread the extra batter over the fruit so it is covered completely.  Spray with canola oil before you flip it:

Cook 1-2 minutes more on the second side.  Serve with real maple syrup, tons of extra berries, strawberry syrup (I just thought of this now, omg!) or whatever else you like!

Enjoy!